It's 'Marvelous' at Shelton's Center Stage

Published 3:03 pm, Tuesday, April 2, 2013

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From left: Casey Perruzzi, of Stratford; Fiona Bryson, of Shelton; Melissa Rampton, of Shelton; and Caitlin O'Keefe Boles, of Newtown, starring in "The Marvelous Wonderettes" in April at Center Stage Theatre in Shelton. less

From left: Casey Perruzzi, of Stratford; Fiona Bryson, of Shelton; Melissa Rampton, of Shelton; and Caitlin O'Keefe Boles, of Newtown, starring in "The Marvelous Wonderettes" in April at Center Stage Theatre in ... more

Photo: Contributed Photo

It's 'Marvelous' at Shelton's Center Stage

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For the founders of Shelton's nonprofit Center Stage Theatre, a musical production represents much more than a "good time" -- for cast members and audiences alike.

Francesca and Gary Scarpa -- who are also producers, directors, artistic managers and veteran theater folk -- say a small-town performing arts group can be a thread that weaves together an entire region in a celebration of the arts.

That's what the Scarpas are hoping to accomplish this month with "The Marvelous Wonderettes," a jukebox musical by Roger Bean that played off-Broadway from 2008 through 2010.

It opens Friday, April 5, and will run through Sunday, April 21.

According to director Francesca Scarpa, the musical is set at the "1958 Springfield High School prom where we meet the Wonderettes, four girls with hopes and dreams as big as their crinoline skirts.

"As we learn about their lives and loves, we are treated to the girls performing such classic 1950s and '60s songs as `Lollipop,' `Dream Lover,' `Stupid Cupid,' `Lipstick On Your Collar,' `Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me,' `It's My Party' and many other classic hits.

"Act II resumes a decade later at the ... 10-year reunion (at which the young women) sing hits from the 1960s," she added.

"It's a trip down Memory Lane, bringing back delightful songs and recollections of great female vocalists like Connie Francis and the McGuire Sisters, to name a few. We have a cast of four musically talented young women who can sing the tight harmonies and deliver the dramatic vocal performances that the show calls for."

The theater was founded in 2005, after Francesca attended an Oprah Winfrey motivational seminar and was inspired by her can-do spirit.

Since then, the theater has had several homes and is now in the former Lafayette School, along with the Valley United Way.

Center Stage produces "six full-scale productions (each season), five of which are with age appropriate casts and one of which is its annual Youth CONNection summer musical with a cast of high school and college students," she explained.

The Youth CONNection was founded by the Scarpas in 1983, Francesca noted. The couple also host several educational programs, workshops and summer camps, all revolving around the theater arts.

Their passion for theater is nurtured "by a desire to express ourselves through the arts," Francesca said.

"Years ago, we learned that theater can be a life-changing experience for teens, especially those in the cast who have this extraordinary shared experience. Well, as we now know, it's the same with adults.

"And as we grow, so do our audiences ... the community grows together. We have a loyal following and that's a responsibility -- and I mean that in a good sense. It makes us work harder to provide a shared experience that is of good quality," she said.